Lessons from a Christmas Carol

​In a 2017 biofilm, British author Charles Dickens was hailed as “the man who invented Christmas.” Dickens did not invent the holiday, per se, but his most famous literary work definitely changed the way Christmas is celebrated. A Christmas Carol requires that readers ask why Christmas is celebrated and encourages readers to reflect on their own lives. There are multiple screen and stage adaptations of the novella that Dickens composed six weeks before Christmas and published on December 19, 1843. Dickens was financially strapped at the time and was writing the holiday pamphlet just to pay the bills. There was no way he could have known that 175 years later, the story written to provide for his family would be a treasured, beloved tale for the ages and the phrase first printed in those pages have become our favorite wish for the season, “Merry Christmas to us all.”
            A Christmas Carol is written with vivid language and includes lively characters that are relatable to the readers.  It tells the story of the rich, exposes the plight of the poor and provides a timeless message of hope amidst difficult circumstances. Here are five wonderful lessons from the Dickens classic.

1. As you make a living, don’t forget to make a life.  The book opens with this statement, “Jacob Marley was dead: to begin with. There was no doubt about that. …Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.” Marley was main character Ebenezer Scrooge’s business partner. The two had made successful livings as money lenders. Even after Marley’s death, Scrooge continued this. When Marley’s ghost visits Scrooge, it laments, “The common welfare should have been my business.” Marley’s success mattered little in his death. His realization that he should have invested in others’ lives came too late.
2. Laughter is the best medicine. The narrator reminds readers, “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor. In our modern holiday frenzy, we often forget to relax and enjoy the events and gatherings that we have spent such time and resources to prepare. Stop. Look around. Laugh. Laugh with friends and family. Laugh at yourself. Soak in the laughter of your loved ones as they react to surprises, remember Christmases past and revel in the present and presents.
3. Speak their names. Dr. Steve Furr used a quote from author Terry Pratchet at the lighting of the memorial Christmas tree at Jackson Medical Center this week. He asked, “Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken? Holidays are difficult for those who are grieving, but what better way to keep a beloved person’s memory alive than to remember them and voice your memories! Dickens had this to say, “Welcome, old aspirations, glittering creatures of an ardent fancy… Welcome, all that was ever real to our hearts; and for the earnestness that made you real, thanks to Heaven!”
4. Keep established traditions and make new ones. A Christmas Carol states, “And it was always said that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man possessed the knowledge. May that be said truly of us.” I may not have a set routine at any other time of the year, but at Christmas the traditions of decorating a tree, getting a new ornament each year, caroling to neighbors, and welcoming friends and family into our home will always be kept. Even though they aren’t little, there are certain activities that my children expect at Christmas and I plan to always do these things.
5. Become a child again. Attempt to see things from a new vantage point. Embrace the spirit of mystery and experience the wonder. According to Dickens, “It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself.”

Live intentionally. Love with no boundaries. Remember your loved ones. Share your traditions. Remember the reason.
Merry Christmas!